Seeking Abigail-Scene Four

So Peter arose and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the upper room; Acts 9:39a

Abigail tucked the last batch of cloth into her basket and then closed her booth.

“Why does the afternoon before the Sabbath always go by faster than normal?”

A male voice from behind her answered, “Are you asking me?”

Abigail turned abruptly and knocked down the man.

“Oh, I am so sorry.” She placed her basket on the ground and stepped over to help him. “Are you hurt?”

The man uncurled himself and laughed heartily. “Only my pride.”

“Judah!” Abigail kicked dust at him and retreated to her basket.

“Whoa.” Judah stood dusting off his tunic. “What happened to being sorry?”

“I am sorry, Cousin,” Abigail squared her shoulders, “that you are here at all.”

She saw the pang of hurt in her cousin’s eyes. She should be sorry for that, but all she could think about was the cold shoulder her father continued to give her all week. He was kind enough to Judah and even to the wretched boy who spoiled all her cloth, but he would not even acknowledge her upon arriving home each evening. His duplicity angered her. No, it frustrated her. No. If she were honest, it hurt her…deeply. Her father’s business dealings with his brother, Judah’s father, were more important than mending his relationship with a daughter.

“Abigail.” Judah’s voice was tender. “Can we not be friends?”

“Humph!” She picked up her basket and turned to leave.

“Chloe sent me.” Judah yelled after her. “She wants you to come meet Peter the Apostle.”

Abigail stopped in midstride. So, the great and all powerful Peter has come. She had no inclination to meet someone who turns people from their ancient customs and ways. And certainly not right before Sabbath. How…how…rude to even expect it.

Abigail looked back at her cousin. “I have no desire to meet this blasphemer.”

“But Chloe will be disappointed.” Judah gave a faint smile. “And so will I.”

“You do realize it is almost the Sabbath.” She turned to face him. “Or do all you people ignore that commandment as well.”

“We do not ignore any of the commandments.” Judah took a small hesitant step toward her. “We are now free to fully live within them.”

“That does not even make sense.” She turned and moved toward the bustling crowd also in a hurry to return home.

“Please come.” She heard Judah’s steps follow her. “We will make sure you are home in time to prepare for the Sabbath.” He caught up with her and touched her elbow. “If only to make Chloe happy.”

Abigail stopped and allowed Judah to come along side of her. Just then, a stout woman of middle age bumped into them. Her arms were loaded with goods and youth of varying sizes trailed behind her, all carrying oversized loads of fish and cheese and vegetables. It was Mariah.

“Sorry.” She said. “So sorry.” The woman looked up at who she bumped into. “Abigail?

Abigail nodded and then moved back to let the large brood pass. “You will be late.” Mariah waved her chubby arm directing those behind to keep moving. “You too, Judah. Peter will have come and gone by the time you get there.”

The cousins waved goodbye as the woman maneuvered her line of human chickens through the market crowd.

“She is going to see this apostle of yours?” Abigail’s tone turned trite. “I thought she was rushing to prepare for the Sabbath.”

“I believe she is.” Judah smiled down at her. “She’s already met Peter at the distribution tables. That is where she is coming from.”

“All that food came from your…” She searched her memory for the correct word, but could not remember what they called themselves. “…your group?”

Judah rubbed his beard. “I do not think all of it, but a good deal.”

Abigail asked aloud what she meant to keep to herself. “Why do you do it?”

“Do what?”

She regretted at once where this conversation was probably going. Every time she asked a simple question about the strange changes among her people and within Joppa, the answers always circled back to this Jesus person. And their synagogue had strictly forbidden even the mention of his name. She was in enough distress with her father; she did not need to have God’s wrath come down on her as well.

“Nothing.” She stepped into the crowd. “I must go.”

Judah tugged at her. “But Chloe?”

“She will understand. Just tell her I…” Abigail stared at Judah’s pleading eyes. “I am sorry, Judah. I just cannot come.” She gave a final pull from his grasp and ran through the crowd.

Longest Four-Letter Word (e)

You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ Matthew 5:43

In my New American Standard Bible, when words are all caps in the New Testament it means those words are a direct quote from the Old Testament. In this verse, the all caps are for the phrase, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR.” Jesus is quoting this from the last part of Leviticus 19:17. Notice that the phrase “and hate your enemy” is not in all caps, but it is still in quotes. Jesus is quoting that from somewhere, but where?

Could it be that the last part of the sentence, “and hate your enemy,” is quoted from man’s traditions? Could it be that over the centuries man just couldn’t believe God meant that “YOUR NEIGHBOR” included everyone, even your enemies? Loving enemies just wasn’t natural, so man helped God out with the “real” meaning of the command and gave themselves a suggestion clause: it’s okay to not only not love your enemy, you could hate them. Now that was much more reasonable and certainly more doable.

Both sides of the first century battlefield could agree with this suggestion clause. For one side, it was a nice addition to his “to do” list. Through man’s tradition, a “legalist” was vindicated in hating his enemy. The “liberal” was free to choose. This suggestion allowed him to pick and choose who was a neighbor and who was an enemy.

Both camps were leaning, both were unbalanced, and they were fighting each other instead of Satan. Because each camp decided the other camp was their enemy, they didn’t have to love each other. In fact, they could hate each other. And they did.

The Pharisees didn’t like the Sadducees and vice versa. Both groups were so appalled by the illiterate sinner that they would cross the street to avoid them. And the common Jew resented the burdensome load of all the religious sects, while at the same time despising their Samaritan cousins. And, of course, everyone hated Rome! Talk about class lines and prejudices!

So, Jesus is about to cut right through the “letter of the law,” tear up their suggestion clause, and erase all doubt concerning God’s intent in regard to this command. Century old walls were about to go tumbling down brick by brick!

But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Matthew 5:44-45

Ouch! For Jesus to compare the Jews sitting on that hill, all sects and classes, with unclean Gentiles and despised tax collectors was a stinging slap to everything they held dear. He might as well have physically knocked them down. For some, these were “fightin’ words” (Matthew 26:4) and they were obsessed with opposing and stopping this radical Teacher and His teaching. They would pay a high price for their hardened hearts.

For others, they were, “…amazed at His teaching” (Matthew 7:28). They followed Jesus everywhere and heard His teaching, but most didn’t fully grasp what this God-Man was all about or why He was on earth. Some leaned one way trying to hold tight to their tradition while still grasping at the Savior’s message of hope (Mark 10:17-22). Some leaned the other way, throwing out tradition and Jesus’ command to be perfect, “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48). These individuals thought they could follow Jesus and not give up everything (Luke 9:57-62).

A few got it! Oh, sometimes they leaned one way or the other. Often they were hard headed. And every now and then they gave Satan battle ground. But they clung to Jesus…hard! They put their faith in the Man from Galilee. They rejected what was normal and natural and clung to what was impossible and irrational. They knew they couldn’t “be perfect” on their own. Only by God’s grace and mercy would their lives be all God intended them to be.

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

For everyone on that hill, they would never be the same. They would have to do something with these new commandments and with this Jesus. They heard the truth and were now without excuse. It was impossible to be neutral with Jesus and dangerous to try.

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.‘ Matthew 7:21-23

Every one another, true believer in Christ Jesus, will lean towards legalism or liberalism now and then. And some of us lean to one side or the other as a lifestyle choice. What I am challenging all of us to ask ourselves is who do we consider to be the enemy? Is it that brother or sister in Christ who leans on tradition to help them in their daily living? When I listen to some preachers rant against these brothers and sisters, I have to wonder. Or is your enemy the one another who seems to use grace as a license to get as close to the sin line as possible?

Do Not Lean! When we lean, we are off balance and ineffective. Remember who the real enemy is and stand firm against him in love and in truth. Jesus leaves His followers without excuse. We are commanded to love one another – those who are fellow born-again believers in Jesus Christ. But even if we are convinced someone who claims to be one of us can’t possibly be one of us, we are still commanded to love her as our neighbor. And even if we refuse to treat her as a neighbor because she is the enemy, we are still commanded to love her and to pray for her.

These are not suggestions. These are commands. No one is to be excluded from the love of the Father that is supposed to be flowing through us. Impossible, you say! You bet it is when we try to do it on our own. Our only hope is to put on the whole armor of God, get in the middle of the battlefield, and let Satan have it…using love as our ultimate weapon!

Discussion

In order to be prepared for this battlefield, we must use the full armor of God. On a scale of 1-10 (1 indicating not using it at all and 10 indicating using it all the time) rate your overall use of each piece of the armor of God listed in Ephesians 6:10-20.

The Belt of Truth

The Breastplate of Righteousness

Feet Shod with the Gospel of Peace

The Shield of Faith

The Helmet of Salvation

The Sword of the Spirit

Longest Four-Letter Word (d)

Jesus starts his sermon with nine blessed statements that were, to say the least, radical to those who were listening. They still are even today. We just can’t grasp how it can possibly be a blessing to be poor, or to mourn, or to be persecuted. Jesus doesn’t really expound. He simply gives these nine statements as fact. He then tells His listeners to be salt and light and to let that light shine. Maybe some people thought, “That sounds like a good idea. Exactly how should we do that?” He’s about to explain, but before he does, He has to clear up some confusion.

Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-19

It’s nothing new that in modern Christianity, there are those who want to emphasize the New Testament over the Old Testament. They would argue that since Jesus was the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, the first 39 books of the Bible have no real significance for a New Testament believer. Generally, this person would lean to the “liberality” camp on the battlefield. All those “thou shalts” and “thou shalt nots” do not apply to disciples living in the 21st century.

On the other side, those in the “legalistic” camp point out, and correctly so, that since heaven and earth have not passed away, the Law still has a purpose in God’s plan. Often their emphasis is on keeping the letter of the law. They actually find it difficult to function without a list of “dos” and “don’ts” and they may even question the genuine salvation of anyone who doesn’t live by their list. But according to Jesus, what both sides have to ask is, “Does my righteousness surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees?”

Why the chasm between these two schools of thought? How can thoughtful and educated one anothers read the same passage and come away with two very different premises? I dare not claim to have a definitive answer to these questions, but I would like to present a possibility and let you put it before God and His Word.

Is it possible that we take one position or the other because we are intimidated by the rest of Matthew 5? Is Jesus just asking too much of us, so we decide to practice selective reading? I believe it is much easier for humans to lean to extremes than it is to stand in the middle of a battlefield that challenges everything we consider to be natural human thinking and behavior.

Stay with me here and open your Bible to Matthew 5:21-47.

In this amazing sermon, Jesus continues to challenge the conventional teaching of that day and, I might add, of our day. Six times the Master Teacher states, “You have heard…” Each time, He completes the sentence with a quote from the Old Testament. Each of these statements is then followed with five words that should jolt us awake every time we read them: “But I say to you…”

Wait a minute! Is Jesus nullifying the Old Testament Scriptures? No. He can’t. Jesus, as God, cannot contradict Himself. He just proclaimed that He did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill them. With these six examples, Jesus is correcting man’s faulty thinking and inaccurate practice of God’s laws and commandments. He is explaining how He is the fulfillment of the Old Testament and what that means for His followers. He is telling His listeners, then and now, how to truly submit to and obey God’s commandments.

What does any of this have to with not leaning and fighting the real enemy? Let’s investigate the last of the six examples Jesus uses and find out.

Discussion

Satan is the father of lies and suggestions. What types of lies and suggestions does he use to keep woman from the middle of the battlefield and from loving one another?

Longest Four-Letter Word (c)

Jesus commanded, yes commanded, us to love one another as He loves us—perfect love wrapped solidly around perfect truth, and perfect truth wrapped solidly around perfect love. How did Jesus do that? He did His Father’s will. The very Son of God submitted and obeyed God’s commands!

I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. John 5:30

This is what a servant does. He/she seeks the will of their master and then they do it. And the will of the master is given as a command, not a suggestion. The cross wasn’t a suggestion, one of many possibilities, or the better of two choices. It was the only choice and Jesus willingly obeyed!

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-8

As long as we, Jesus’ disciples, continue to lean and take sides instead of running to Jesus and each other, we will continue to be ineffective, bearing little or no fruit. The result is the world does not know we are His disciples and consequently they do not know Jesus.

In His first sermon, Jesus lays the foundation of just where He is coming from on all this commandment stuff. What’s interesting is that I’ve heard these chapters used to accuse the “legalist” of putting traditions above God’s commands. I’ve also heard this sermon used to accuse the “liberal” of not taking God’s commands seriously. What Satan doesn’t want any of us to see is that this sermon accuses each of us as individuals. Jesus is basically saying, “No one has been getting this commandment thing right. So let me explain…again.”

What we call The Sermon on the Mount is found in the New Testament found in Matthew 5-7. Thousands of sermons and multiple books by people a lot smarter than me delve into the wealth of subject matter found here. As always, I encourage you to read and re-read these chapters, seeking God’s face and His purpose contained in the verses.

All I have room for in this context, though, is simply to give a glance into what I think are some of the themes in this discourse. My prayer is that you will be challenged to re-think where your position is on the battlefield and adjust that position if necessary. I know for me, if I did nothing else but read and deeply study this sermon and then obey what I learn, Satan would have no hope of stopping my impact on the world for God’s glory.

Discussion

What are your thoughts concerning Elaine’s premise that most born-again believers lean, at least a little, to either a “legalistic” or a “liberality” lifestyle? Which side do you lean toward? Why?

Why do you think it is so hard to achieve the balance between legalism and liberalism?

Longest Four-Letter Word (b)

If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. John 14:23

From my previous confession, you might think I was some sort of insubordinate freak among Christian women. You may think I was alone in my rebellion. I think not! In my lifetime, the American Christian community has accepted deep within its fabric a pivotal preference that has shaped even evangelical thinking. This principle has blurred the lines between holy and unholy.

Even in our churches, the Bible is a good book of practical, helpful suggestions.

It would be nice if you would be saved. Your life will be so much better.
It’s not a bad idea to be baptized and you might want to consider observing the Lord’s Table when it’s convenient.
No one really expects a normal teenager to remain pure. So, if you don’t wait until marriage to be sexually active, don’t worry, you’re forgiven.
Marriage is a contract, sure, but the most important thing is for you to be happy.
When you have the perfect job and your career is finally on track, be sure to give thanks. In the meantime, pull yourself up and just keep at it.
You will forgive “So-and-So” when it feels right for you. Trust your heart.
God is happy with the thirty seconds you give Him most mornings. Don’t fret over missing that time now and then. You have a lot to do.
Help us out with your spiritual and financial gifts when it’s convenient for you.
You were never meant to go without ________ (fill in the blank). There’s a reason your credit is good. Use it.
God must want you to solve this one on your own. You can’t wait any longer to hear from Him. Go with your gut.
No one memorizes Bible verses anymore. Why bother when you can look at any verse, any time on your phone if you should actually need it?
Even if ‘Holy’ is still on the cover, the Bible isn’t really considered the absolute authority anymore. After all, don’t Confucius and Buddha have some good suggestions?

If this list seems like an exaggeration to you, thoughtfully read over it again. Think back to conversations you’ve had with fellow believers on topics such as sexual purity, marriage, forgiveness, work ethics, and even salvation. Was the Bible the standard in these discussions or did man’s traditions and opinions carry as much weight as or even more weight than God’s Word? Did the conversations sound any different than the evening news or national talk shows? Would an unbeliever eavesdropping on your dialogue know that it was disciples of Jesus talking to one another?

How often in our Christian socializing are we aghast when another Ten Commandment plaque has been ordered off a courtroom wall? You know freedom of speech and all! But secretly we haven’t kept #10 in a while. And “Thou shalt not steal” is for car thieves and Wall Street hoarders, not for us hard working middle class folks who may fudge on our taxes now and then. Isn’t it enough that we have to listen to that preacher once a week? Well okay, once a month. Oh, alright! Twice a year!

We just don’t like being told what to do or not do. We believe in the freedom to choose and the right to determine our own path. That’s the American way! So to ease our conscious, we have taken the doctrine of freedom in grace and equated it with a god of suggestions, when it applies to us of course. Now, when the preacher or televangelist messes up, well that’s another story. Throw the Holy Book at them and pin them down with each and every commandment that has been broken. It is little wonder the Church is accused of being full of hypocrites.

Let’s think this through. In one camp are the one anothers who don’t want anything to do with “the law.” That’s just too…well…commandment-like. The idea of suggestions is much more appealing. With a suggestion, they may or may not choose to follow it depending on the situation. They want to choose when to submit and how they will obey. They lean heavily on the liberty side of discipleship, having a form of love with little or sometimes twisted truth. They shout across the battlefield, “You don’t love!”

In the other camp are the one anothers who work very hard to keep all of the law and the commandments. They know they were saved by grace and can quote Ephesians 2:8 word for word, but they sincerely believe that the Christian walk can only be accomplished through the keeping of dos and don’ts. If they are honest, they like the idea of suggestions as well: the ones they suggest. Often they keep a list of who is and isn’t living by their list of suggestions. They lean more to the legality side of discipleship, having a form of truth with little or conditional love. They shout back across the battle lines, “You forsake the truth!”

It seems to me both camps in some proportion lean to the god of suggestions. Neither camp would dare admit such a thing, though they are quick to accuse each other. The real tragedy is both sides, all of us, have forgotten who has positioned himself right smack dab in the middle of the battlefield. That ole’ lion himself: Satan! He is the father of lies. We might even say he is the father of suggestions. You may recall a short encounter with Eve in the Garden of Eden when Satan voiced his first suggestion, “…Indeed, has God said…” (Genesis 3:1).

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. I Peter 5:8

You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44

If the Devil can keep both camps on the extremes, the edges, of the battlefield with his lies and suggestions, then he has done his job well. It takes great strength, effort, and courage to stay in the middle of the real battle. It’s much easier to toss stones across the battlefield at each other than to take out our sword, run to the middle, and let Satan have it!

Discussion

The commands to love are foundational to all the other commands of God. See Matthew 22:36-40. Look up the following Scriptures and discuss how each of these depends first on following the command to love.
Ephesians 4:15 and II Timothy 2:14-15
Matthew 28:20
Acts 1
Acts 13:47

Longest Four-Letter Word (a)

My mouth was dry as moth balls. My eyes itched and my temples throbbed. My palms were sweaty and I dug my nails into the seat cushion. My muscles tightened from the top of my head all the way down to my toes, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. The words ringing in my ears sent screaming chills down my spine.

What were these words? Were the words “fired” or “laid off” just handed out to me on a pink slip? Or were words given in a medical prognosis worse than first anticipated? Or were the judge’s words worse than expected? Or was the IRS handing out a penalty far beyond visibility? Or did a friend’s words betray a trust? Or maybe it was that dreadful middle of the night phone call – words no parent wants to receive?

No, it wasn’t any of these life changing words. I was simply sitting in my usual pew, dressed in my newest Sunday best. I was minding my own business, multi-tasking as usual, when all at once I heard the preacher say: “You are My friends if you do what I command you”.

Oh, not again! Was he going to go off about commandments and obedience yet again? Didn’t we just labor through all that submission stuff last month? Surely, there must be something else in the Bible to talk about. How about a little “judge not” reference once in a while? Or better yet, one of those “Do unto others” passages?

I can’t give you an exact place, date, or time for the above scenario. There have been so many similar instances in my life that it’s impossible to pick one out of the pack. But they are all basically the same when it comes to my response to preaching on the nastiest “four letter words” for a post-modern American woman. They are submission, obedience, and the longest four letter word of them all: commandment.

I don’t like these words or their fundamental principle. Deep down, I don’t want to do anything I don’t want to do, thank you very much! And the last thing I want to do when I get up in the morning is submit, obey, or follow commands. It’s just down right un-American. Right?

For too many decades, I struggled with the biblical model of submission. No, it was more than a struggle: it was an outright war! I just would not submit. Even when it appeared outwardly that I was submitting, I really wasn’t. I played that game very well.

You see, my philosophy used to be, “I will not do anything I do not want to do.” Such a mindset makes it very difficult to “work well and play well with others.” So, if there was something I absolutely had to do, but didn’t want to, I always found some reason, no matter how small, to feign cooperation. Some of my rational was I want to keep my job; I want you to like me; I want to get my way later, so I’ll do what you want now; or I want to appear to be godly.

But it was all a charade and overwhelmingly selfish. Every bit of my attitude and behavior was founded on survival of the fittest, and I was determined that would be me. I felt justified in this because I literally lived in survival mode for a good chunk of my adolescence. Submission was a sign of weakness and weakness meant I was vulnerable. I was determined I would never be vulnerable again.

But God! I say again, but God, would not allow me to do that! I am filled with praise He did not!

I finally learned that submission is not weakness. In fact, biblical submission is the supreme indicator of strength. Jesus wasn’t weak when He submitted to the cross. It was His greatest moment of strength. Oh to be more like Him!